The Wizard

Lee Berman · 12 Mar 2012, 04:11 · from 2012-March.txt.gz

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From: severiansola at hotmail.com (Lee Berman)
Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:11:21 -0400
Subject: (urth) The Wizard
Message-ID: <SNT123-W1178C1C6E28607986CBF3FCF5B0 at phx.gbl>

>Marc Aramini: I don't want to go around and around, but, unlike many mystical 

>religious writers, Wolfe is a keen observer of the world.  He has lived through 

>a war personally, has seen men killed, has passed through DETROIT and Chicago.  

>He knows that there is hell on earth and on urth, in this day and age, and still 

>believes in Christ.

I think this misses Antonio's point and does miss mine (and I think the point 

Wolfe is trying to make). Of course there are spritually bad things in our world.

There always will be. But since the arrival of Jesus Christ, we've had a choice; an 

an option for salvation that was not available before Christ.

There is no Christian salvation available anywhere in the Sun Series. Not on Urth, 

not on Ushas, not on the Whorl or Blue or Green, not even in Yesod. I can't buy

the Quinnian speculation that "maybe there is a secret enclave of Christians that

Wolfe never mentions...". How could Wolfe fail to mention something so critical and

important?

It disturbs Antonio to think Wolfe wanted to create a world where Christ's "once for

all" sacrifice has been relegated to the dung heap and I understand that. Urth, Ushas

The Whorl, Green and Blue all resemble portions of pre-Christian earth. Even Yesod is 

a gnostic paradise, not Christian. At the end of UotNS, Ushas worships Pega, Odilo, 

Thais and Severian. At the end of RttW there are vampires swarming and monsters in the

sea and godlings running around The whorl.

Gene Wolfe says he believes in the reality of pagan gods and monsters. I have not seen

any of those who find Christ on Urth willing to tackle this elephant in the living room.

Does WOlfe think we have pagan gods and sea monsters ruling earth now? I don't think so. 

These were part of a pre-Christian world. So I think when he creates an allegorical

universe ruled by pagan gods and monsters in the sea, it is his way of creating a

*pre*-Christian universe.

I suppose you could argue that Briah is a Christian universe and he just included the sea

monsters and vampires and gnostic angels to add some cool, science fictiony elements. I

find the opposing scenario to be more plausible, interesting and literarily significant.

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